gi newsletter fall 2013
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Matthews United Methodist www.globalimpactmumc.org
www.facebook.com/globalimpactatmumc
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Growing a Christian Community:
A Partnership Story
God has called us to be His disciples….but exactly how
do you do that? How do you change people and
situations, especially in a developing country? Ron and
Linda Braaten had just that very challenge. We asked
Linda Braaten to comment on the following statements:
You went from:
no teams, to many teams & churches supporting Oasis Ministry.
no school, to graduates becoming teachers in that school.
a small church, to your own church.
being the sole church leader, to Belizeans becoming Elders.
building houses for Belizeans, to Belizeans building houses.
no small businesses, to many…
Linda’s response: “God has used the vehicle of Oasis Ministry to
involve churches and individuals from the
States in the work done in Belize. MUMC came
alongside Oasis Ministry approximately 10
years ago, first in a small way, sending
building teams, then fully embracing them and
walking alongside them in a number of areas.
One significant aspect of the ministry has been
the training of Belizeans to continue the work
that has been started. It takes teamwork to get
the job done which is what is happening down
in Belize. As individuals and churches have
worked together, we have seen Belizean
students become Christian Belizean teachers
and Belizeans who had nothing to eat
now provide for their families.”
Linda Braaten explains further, “MUMC came
up with the vision for starting small businesses
with micro loans. As a result, we have seen
families in our village able to provide for
themselves and no longer be dependent on
handouts. Many of the young people are
watching this and are starting to make plans to
make use of this ministry.
Continued on Page 3
“We have seen families in our
village able to provide for
themselves and no longer be
dependent on handouts.”
“Together we can
change lives…”
MUMC AND OASIS MINISTRY COLLECTIVELY
GROWING AND TRANSFORMING A
COMMUNITY INTO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLES.
THE SELFLESS LOVE OF JESUS IS FULLY PRESENT IN DONN AND CYNDIE TRUAX’S MINISTRY, CHANGE OF 1, (C1), IN GLOVERSVILLE, NY.
From youth and young
adults to businessmen to
recovering addicts,
God is changing hearts
and restoring lives in
Gloversville through the
Truaxes and C1.
Gloversville is a seemingly hopeless town on
the surface. Once a booming place, the town
is now plagued by drugs, alcoholism, poverty,
broken relationships, and spiritual darkness.
After realizing the need in Gloversville, the
Truax family, in a leap of faith, moved from
Matthews four years ago to open a mission
organization and Christian community center
in Gloversville which is now Change of 1.
One of the first days our team was there, I met Rob, a C1 family member. We
played piano and drums together and sang the song “Redeemed” by Big Daddy
Weave. This song has really great lyrics, although I think they gained a lot
more meaning for me by playing it with Rob that day. Later on in the week,
Rob shared with me how God was rescuing him from his addiction and
helping repair his relationship with his daughter and the rest of his family. At
the end of the week, Rob told Donn that he wanted to be baptized, an
awesome proclamation of what God had been doing in his life.
There are many stories from our trip that I could tell, like ones of people
turning from addictions and spiritually dead ways of life, teens from bad
family situations finding refuge in God, joyful baptisms, a thriving youth
group, and a close-knit community of believers and churches striving together
as the body of Christ for the glory of God in a community desperate for Him.
~ Jeffrey Hall
Impacting Gloversville
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
- Romans 10:15 s (
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G G
Please join us for meetings the first Monday of each month at 6:30 pm in Rooms 209/211. All are Welcome!
Upcoming Mission
Opportunities
Belize (February 8th - 15th, 2014) * Earl Coggins - [email protected] * Sarah Prewitt - [email protected]
Jamaica (April 12th - 19th, 2014) * Dan Meyer - [email protected]
Zarmisha Ministry, Uganda
(Spring 2014) * Jami Comer - [email protected]
Financial Update
Continued from cover
Many of the teams came down for ministry in the churches and with the
children, but soon Ron saw the need to help many of the families in our
villages with housing. So he came up with a plan for teams to build simple
homes for families with the greatest need. Many of the home recipients have
decided to come and help build for their neighbors when the next team
came. On several occasions there have been homes that have been
constructed by a fully Belizean team!
Two years ago, Ron felt the Lord
leading him to start a church right
here at Oasis between the two villages
of Blackman Eddy and Unitedville.
While Ron is the pastor, all of our
church leaders are Belizean. We have
one young man, who was saved
through our ministry many years ago,
serving as an elder and the youth pastor. Many of the young people who have been
involved in our children’s programs are beginning to step up to take important positions
in the church.
What a great adventure it is to build God’s kingdom together here in Belize. We are truly
seeing the development of a Christian community that stretches from the United States
to Belize.”
This is a success story about how we…MUMC and Oasis Ministry are collectively growing
and transforming a community into Christian disciples. Together we can change lives,
situations and hearts. Though our prayers, our service and our financial support we can
come alongside those in need and make a difference. ~ Linda Icard with Linda Braaten
Visit our website GlobalImpactMUMC.org.
There were many touching moments when we arrived at the orphanages
in La Paz and in Tacachia, especially seeing the Children waiting to greet
us with hugs and kisses. The children and staff of the orphanage were
so welcoming and loving, we knew God was present.
God touched my life in many ways during this trip. He amazed me when
I saw the beauty of his creation in the country itself. He humbled me
when I saw how He had touched the lives of the children there and how
blessed they were to have a loving Christian place to live in. He made me
thankful for the blessings in my life!
One example of when I saw God at work was when Joshua (a missionary
on the trip with us) would tell Bible Stories every day to the children in
their language. They couldn’t wait for this to happen!
I think it is important to go out into other parts of the world and
experience God at work, giving us such a different perspective . I’ve
always been a little fearful of going to a place I’ve never been before to
do mission work—would I be comfortable, could I do the work needed?
Would the people like or relate to me? Every time—moments after I
arrive—I know I’ve done the right thing! ~ Patricia Clark
Bolivia Bound Bolivia Bound
“The children and
staff of the
orphanage were
so welcoming and
loving, we knew
God was present.”.